Being a referee is a great way to keep fit and to be involved on the field in the game you love.

All the top referees in the game began their careers by attending a basic referees course. Top Italian Referee Pierluigi Collina was a central defender for his local club when he decided to attend a referees course and he went on to be named FIFA’s “Best referee of the Year” six consecutive times. Top female referee Kari Seitz who has officiated in Women’s World Cups and Olympic tournaments gained her experience refereeing both men’s and women’s football. Whether you’re male or female, a youngster, a student or perhaps an ex-player we want you to become a referee and we hope that on this page we can answer some key questions and give you the information you need to get started.

CONTACTS

Read our guide below and if you want to get yourself on a course telephone or e-mail one of these contacts;

Finally, if you click on the referees link to the left of this page you’ll find an online enquiry form which you can fill in and submit to register your interest

BASICS

You must be at least 14 years old; you need to be reasonably fit and whether or not you wear spectacles or contact lenses you need to have reasonable eyesight.

FIRST STEPS

To get started you will need to attend a Basic Referees Course. The course consists of 8×2 hr classroom based training sessions, usually held in evening and a written test at the end. Each training session lasts for 2 hrs and take place weekly.

COST

There is no cost for the tuition, while the exam costs £15. If you pass the course there is a fee (£5.00) for registering with our Association and registering is very important to make sure you are properly insured when you are involved in a game as an official.

KIT

On completion of the exam , information regarding purchasing referee’s kit and equipment will be provided.

ENTRY LEVEL

Referees are graded as they become more experienced. If you pass the course and you are less than 16 years of age, you will become a grade 4C referee and you will start to gain experience by officiating in Junior football at an age two years below your age. Therefore if you are an Under 15 referee you will be able to officiate at Under 13 matches and younger ages.

If you are at least 16 years of age, you will start as a grade 4B referee and you will be qualified to be officiate at recreational level football. There are a number of recreational level leagues throughout the Central Wales area so there will be no difficulty appointing you to officiate in local recreational football matches. You will probably start as a referees assistant to help you gain the confidence to take charge in the middle.

PAYMENT

Referees fees vary from recreational football through to Welsh Premier Lge, ranging from £18 – £80.

Expenses are also paid for travelling to games.

PROGRESS AND PROMOTION

Support doesn’t end once you have passed the basic course. The Central Wales F A Referees’ Committee and the Central Wales FA offer additional training and support to referees to further their development and possible progression through the system.

As you gain more experience you will be assessed for promotion and as you progress you become eligible to officiate in higher grade football, providing the referee concerned meets certain criteria.Eventually you could be promoted to the Grade 1 International level and entitled to officiate at European Championships and World cups, all because you took the first step and attended a Basic Referees course.

REGISTER YOUR INTEREST

If you are interested in training to be a referee, go to the Referees section of this site and complete the online form. We will then keep you informed of training opportunities in your local area and when there is sufficient numbers we can put on a special course even if there is no present course scheduled